Depending on the student, “Buffalo” means one of three very different parts of town. There’s Amherst, a bland, pancake-flat, upper-middle-class suburb where North Campus is itself isolated by rings of fields and highways. There’s the Heights, a vibrant area around South Campus chock-full of bars and shops where students pack into big brick houses and bursting bungalows. And there’s the rest of Buffalo, equal parts decaying industrial city and friendly, liberal college town, where many students party, study, and make their homes.
Most students are immediately bored by Amherst. It is peaceful, safe, and even verdant in the fall—before winter comes and dirty piles of plowed snow line its highways. But after a few months, students realize that there’s not much to do other than run on the bike path, or drive to Duff’s and Wegmans. The Heights has a completely different atmosphere—it’s the peanut butter sundae to Amherst’s vanilla soft-serve. There are bars, diners, ethnic restaurants, stores, and coffee shops. At night, you can walk from parties to bars. But the extent to which students enjoy UB often depends on how well they get to know the “real” Buffalo. From South Campus, the city stretches west to the Niagara River and south to Lake Erie. It’s a shabby, friendly, yet surprisingly sophisticated town. Buffalo has a dynamic arts community, excellent museums, a fine orchestra, and the beloved Bills and Sabres, whose games most students go to see at least once. With the bars open until 4 a.m. and Canada’s side of Niagara Falls just miles away, many students find Buffalo’s atmosphere to be its best quality.
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Local Atmosphere at SUNY University at Buffalo
B+
Exciting
There is a lot to do on campus but there are many things off campus the city of buffalo is very supportive of their sports teams. There are 2 malls that are pretty good.
Apr 17, 2012
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Local Atmosphere at SUNY University at Buffalo
A-
Good SUNY School
Located in a small town right out side Buffalo. Huge school with variety of classes. Variety of clubs to join and 3 campuses. South Campus is beautiful. Great SUNY tuition.
Apr 10, 2012
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Local Atmosphere at SUNY University at Buffalo
Anonymous
SUNY University at Buffalo Student
4.6
A
Buffalo
The city of Buffalo offers a lot of places to eat and an endless amount of activities to do. There are malls and downtown Buffalo is very close to campus. There is also a strong sports atmosphere. There are many buses that can transport students.
User rating for SUNY University at Buffalo - Local Atmosphere is
3.5 out of 5
based on 27 user reviews.
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- Christina Reisenauer
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- Amherst, N.Y.
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